LSV Asset Management Reduces Stock Holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

LSV Asset Management cut its stake in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,818,131 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 196,700 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned 4.11% of Deluxe worth $41,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 93.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Deluxe during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Deluxe by 57.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 1,166 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in Deluxe by 63.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257 shares during the period. Finally, EMC Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 231.9% during the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 5,417 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 3,785 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th.

Deluxe Price Performance

Deluxe stock remained flat at $14.63 during mid-day trading on Wednesday. 368,649 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 279,787. Deluxe Co. has a 52 week low of $13.70 and a 52 week high of $24.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $16.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $654.21 million, a P/E ratio of 12.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.20%. Deluxe's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.69%.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,488,398.95. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

About Deluxe

Deluxe Corporation provides technology-enabled solutions to enterprises, small businesses, and financial institutions in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It operates through Merchant Services, B2B Payments, Data Solutions, and Print segments. The Merchant Services offers credit and debit card authorization and payment systems, as well as processing services primarily to small and medium-sized retail and service businesses.